24-05-2021

Trouble Shooting A Coin Jam Code In A Slot Machine

Step Nine: Arcade Coin Slot Repair

First, if you take a coin and place it in the slot—Does it fall all the way through and not register credits? Or does it get stuck and doesn’t fall through?

A. If it falls through but doesn’t register a credit, then proceed to follow the steps below.

First, open the coin door. With the coin door open and the game still ON locate the two left and right switches at the bottom of the coin slot. With your eyes look at the wires coming from the coin switch. Make sure both are connected and soldered on. Not taped or glued etc, as some “home owners” have done which will certainly make it lose connectivity over time. If found, solder the wires back in place. One to Normally Open the other to Neutral.

Second, If all wires look good with the tip of you finger trip (push down—as if a coin was falling through it) the switch and see if you can simulate the Quarter pushing down the lever. If the credit registers when you push it down but not when a quarter goes through, simply adjust the strike path of the quarter by bending and shaping the lever so that the quarter will trip it.

Summit converted old Bally Machines to Electronic Slots by adding their electronic systems in old Bally slot machines, converting them into new Summit Slot Machines. If you open the door on your Bally machine and see electronic circuit boards in a stack right in the middle of the front of you reel mechanism, you have a Summit Machine. Verify that acceptor does not have coin(s) jammed: Verify that the coin optics is not blocked: Ensure toggle power switch in activated (if installed) 3100: Coin Out Tilt (Hopper) Check for and clear any jammed coins in the coin out channel: Check the coin out optic sensor for blockage or dirty surface: Replace hopper coin out optic: 3200: Extra Coin Out (Hopper).

Third, If your finger can’t register a credit manually, then replace the switch itself with a new coin slot switch and solder the wires from the old one onto the new switch. The switch has two screws holding it in place. Unscrew these and the switch simply can be removed. Un solder the wires but make a note of the orientation before you disconnect them. Once your new switch arrives then solder the wires on and screw it back into the coin slot


B. If your coin gets stuck and doesn’t fall through. Open the coin door and watch the path the quarter takes.

Chances are if you watch where the quarter is getting stuck you will find that a paper clip, paper, junk, or Canadian quarter is blocking the path. Simply un block the path of the quarter. You may want to open the coin acceptor like so in order to further remove anything in its path. You may just want to replace the coin acceptor at this time with a new one.


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Owning a vintage slot machine is one of those fun yet daunting ideas. Many old school one-armed bandits are beautifully designed and instant conversation pieces. Plus slot fans who own a machine don’t ever have to worry about losing money to the house.

Still, most antique machinery breaks down or wears out eventually and finding a repair person who knows how to fix a piece of equipment that’s over 50 years old can be tough. Thankfully, antique slot machine enthusiasts have figured out how to use the internet and uploaded plenty of great information about repairing these mechanical marvels.
Trouble shooting a coin jam code in a slot machine machines

Trouble Shooting A Coin Jam Code In A Slot Machine Simulator

Newer slots will require you to know a bit about computer circuitry, but the classics just need a screwdriver, wrench and a magic touch. (OK, you probably need more tools than that.) Watch the videos below to understand how the slot machines work and what’s required for common repairs. Even if you’re not ready to plunk down a grand or more for a classic slot machine, you’ll probably get a kick out of understanding what makes those coin swallowers tick. If you want to quickly itch your scratch for playing slots, you can also check out an online casino likeRoyal Vegas Online Slots. Finally, enthusiasts who are serious about buying a vintage machine may want to take a look at the Antique Slot Machine Pricing Guide.

Charles August Fey, a Bavaria-born inventor, was living in San Francisco when he invented his first gambling machine in 1984. His games grew to be so popular at local bars, he quit his day job and opened a factory to start mass producing them, most notably the Liberty Bell machines in 1899. A lot of the functionality from that early game remained in place through much of the 20th century. Watch this video to see the seven mechanical actions set into motion when you pull back the bandit’s arm. The inner workings are probably a little more complex than you expect.

Trouble Shooting A Coin Jam Code In A Slot Machine Machines


Given that a lot of old slot machines are hand built, it isn’t surprising that coins can get jammed on their way through the mechanism. Big warning: If your machine jams, don’t force the arm or you can break, twist or damage a part inside. Different models and makes tend to have common jam points. The Mills model shown in the above video can have coins stuck in the “elevator” section that displays the last five coins dropped into the machine. Getting the slot working again can be as simple as cleaning the gunk off of an old part. You just need to be smart when you’re disassembling and reassembling the machinery.

Okay, there are plenty of more places where a coin can get stuck and the above video demonstrates how to fix a variety of jams. It also explains how to disassemble the major parts of the machine and where common problem areas are.

Curious how an antique slot machine knows how much money a winner gets? This video shows the punch-card like communication that trips payouts and how. If you ever need to replace the reel symbols or calibrate the machine you’ll need to understand how these work. Even if you don’t ever plan on owning a machine, the metallic “circuitry” is interesting to see.

Want to own a modern slot machine? New ones have plenty more bells, whistles and dings, and also a lot more advanced parts. If you plan on getting one, you may want to have an idea of what’s inside. In addition to the classic reels, there are speakers, motherboards filled with programming chips and plenty of wires. Unless you have a way with a soldering iron you probably won’t try and fix it. But in case you do, here’s a clip from Discovery showing what’s inside.

Did you know newer slot machines are smart enough to test themselves when a problem happens? This video shows you the procedure for having the machine check its own system. The host’s desert dry delivery is also enough to make this vid worth a watch.